I Samuel 24:19

"If a man meet with his enemy, will he send him (let him go) in peace?" This sentence is to be regarded as a question, which requires a negative reply, and expresses the thought: When a man meets with an enemy, he does not generally let him escape without injury. But thou hast acted very differently towards me. This thought is easily supplied from the context, and what follows attaches itself to this: "The Lord repay thee good for what thou hast done to me this day."

We have hitherto had Saul seeking an opportunity to destroy David, and, to his shame, he could never find it. In this chapter David had a fair opportunity to destroy Saul, and, to his honour, he did not make use of it; and his sparing Saul's life was as great an instance of God's grace in him as the preserving of his own life was of God's providence over him. Observe, I. How maliciously Saul sought David's life (Sa1 24:1, Sa1 24:2). II. How generously David saved Saul's life (when he had him at an advantage) and only cut off the skirt of his robe (Sa1 24:3-8). III. How pathetically he reasoned with Saul, upon this to bring him to a better temper towards him (Sa1 24:9-15). IV. The good impression this made upon Saul for the present (Sa1 24:16-22).